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U-Seong San – Shortstop – Kawasaki Killer Whales – 74.2% Third Ballot

U-Seong San was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed shortstop from the capital of North Korea, Pyongyang. San wasn’t an outstanding hitter, but he had above average contact and power skills with a decent eye. He was good for around 20-25 home runs and around 30 doubles/triples per season. San was an excellent baserunner and base stealer, successfully stealing on 70.5% attempts. His quick speed also helped him stretch out extra bases and score more runs.

San was considered an ironman, playing 144+ games each year from 1978-93. It was especially impressive considering he exclusively played a very demanding defensive position at shortstop. San was great at avoiding errors and turning double plays, but his range was lousy despite his speed. He graded out as a mediocre defender for his career, but his bat and reliability allowed him to keep the spot. San was also a sparkplug and a scrapper, becoming very popular for his work ethic, leadership, loyalty, and adaptability.

San was noticed by Japanese scouts as one of the premiere prospects coming out of the North Korean capital. Kawasaki was able to convince San to sign as a teenager amateur in February 1973. After sitting in the academy for most of five years, San debuted officially in 1977 at age 21 with 27 games. The Killer Whales made him the full-time starter the next year, a role he held for 16 years with Kawasaki. After his second full season in 1979, the Killer Whales gave San an eight-year, $3,418,000 extension.

San wasn’t generally a league leader, but he was a reliably strong bat at the position. He won Silver Sluggers in 1979, 81, 86, 87, and 89. San led in runs scored with 112 in 1981, taking second in MVP voting. He would 9.7 WAR that year and had seven seasons worth 7+ WAR. San led in WAR in 1989 with 9.8, taking second that year in MVP voting as well.

Kawasaki became a contender with six playoff appearances from 1979-85. The Killer Whales won their first-ever EAB Championship in 1982 over Seongnam In that run, he had 19 hits, 10 runs, and 10 extra base hits in 26 playoff starts. Kawasaki made the KLCS in 1983, 84, and 85, but were defeated each year. In defeat, San won JLCS MVP in 1983 and posted solid playoff numbers. In 59 starts, he had 61 hits, 37 runs, 10 doubles, 11 home runs, 30 RBI, a .256/.319/.462 slash, 133 wRC+, and 2.4 WAR.

Although very popular in Japan, San would still return home to North Korea and play for the national team in the World Baseball Championship. From 1979-94, he had 97 games and 80 starts. San had 64 hits, 37 runs, 9 doubles, 18 home runs, 42 RBI, a .203/.271/.415 slash, and 1.4 WAR.

Now 31 years old after the 1986 season, San signed another six-year, $5,800,000 extension with Kawasaki. The Killer Whales wouldn’t make the playoffs for the rest of San’s tenure, stuck mostly in the middle of the standings. San remained excellent and steady in his 30s, maintaining his skill through the deal. His leadership and great work ethic endeared him even more to Killer Whales fans. Kawasaki would retire his #22 uniform shortly after his career ended.

After the 1993 season, San’s contract had expired. He signed a qualifying offer to stay, but Kawasaki decided to trade him and a prospect to Tokyo for two other prospects. San was used mostly as a backup with the Tides, struggling to a -0.2 WAR season. He played one year in Tokyo, retiring that winter at age 39.

For his career, San had 2668 hits, 1388 runs, 357 doubles, 160 triples, 375 home runs, 1232 RBI, 932 stolen bases, a .275/.316/.461 slash, 134 wRC+, and 91.7 WAR. As of 2037, he’s seventh all-time in WAR among shortstops, third in hits, and first in runs scored. He’s also the all-time defensive leader in double plays among EAB shortstops. Still, San didn’t have incredible power numbers or groundbreaking accumulations. He narrowly missed induction on his first two ballots, but both by less than 2% (65.3% and 64.7%). The third ballot got San across the line and into the Hall of Fame’s 2002 class at 74.2%.



Jay-Hoon Cho – Left Field – Yongin Gold Sox – 72.0% Seventh Ballot

Jay-Hoon Cho was a 6’1’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from Asan, South Korea; a city of 300,000 people bordering the Seoul Capital Area. Cho was a great contact hitter and had a great eye for drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was merely okay. He had outstanding gap power, leading the Korea League six times in doubles with seven seasons with 40+. Cho was also good for 20-30 home runs per season. He knew how to pick his spots stealing bases, but his subpar speed limited his tries.

Cho had outstanding durability, starting 137+ games in all 15 years of his pro career. He played the vast majority of his starts in left field, although he had some starts in right and a few in center. Cho graded out as a below average defender, but he wasn’t a liability. He was another scrappy sparkplug type known for his work ethic, intelligence, and adaptability. Cho became very popular especially in Yongin, where he spent most of his career.

The Gold Sox stunk in the mid 1970s, getting the #1 overall pick in both 1975 and 1976. In the latter year, they took Cho’s Hall of Fame classmate Ju-Eon Eun. Cho would come first, taken in the 1975 EAB Draft out of Dongguk University. Eun was picked out of high school and wouldn’t debut for a few years. For Cho, he was thrown into the fire right away as a full-time starter.

Cho adapted amazingly well, debuting as the Korea League leader in doubles (44) and OBP (.410) with a career best .361 batting average. He won Rookie of the Month four times in 1976, easily taking Rookie of the Year honors. With Yongin, he had 10 seasons worth 5+ WAR. Cho led again in doubles in 1977 and 1978. He plugged along as the Gold Sox rebuilt, eventually becoming a contender in the 1980s. Yongin made the playoffs six times from 1980-87. The Gold Sox would give Cho a five-year, $3,700,000 extension after the 1981 season.

Cho played even better in the early 1980s. He led in doubles in1 983, 84, and 1986. In 1985, Cho led in runs scored, RBI, OBP, and OPS. Cho’s three Silver Sluggers were 1984, 86, and 87. He was third in MVP voting in 1985. Cho also became a regular for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship from 1977-89. He had 117 games and 97 starts, picking up 86 hits, 60 runs, 16 doubles, 27 home runs, 67 RBI, a .251/.346/.539 slash, 149 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR.

Cho also stepped up in the postseason for Yongin, winning KLCS MVP in 1985. The Gold Sox won the 1984 EAB Championship and were the runner-up in 1985. They were ousted in the KLCS in 1982, 86, and 87. In 53 playoff starts, Cho had 64 hits, 27 runs, 15 doubles, 6 home runs, 32 RBI, a .322/.391/.508 slash, 142 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR. His efforts ultimately led to his #3 uniform being retired at the end of his career. For his Gold Sox tenure, he had 1984 hits, 1041 runs, 444 doubles, 294 home runs, 1018 RBI, a .319/.392/.549 slash, 151 wRC+, and 65.5 WAR.

Despite a successful 1986 with Yongin, Cho would decline his contract option with the hopes of a big payday. The 34-year old got a four-year, $3,800,000 deal with Ulsan. He had a solid debut, winning his third Silver Slugger with the Swallows. They won the Korea League title, falling to Chiba in the EAB Championship. In the playoff run, Cho had 17 starts, 17 hits, 13 runs, 5 doubles, 1 home run, and 10 RBI.

Ulsan would quickly regress in the next two years, although Cho was still a good starter. In total with the Swallows, Cho had 491 hits, 256 runs, 111 doubles, 74 home runs, 256 RBI, a .294/.366/.507 slash, 135 wRC+, and 12.0 WAR. Ulsan dropped to 71-91 in 1989 and looked to rebuild. With one year left in his deal, Cho was traded in the offseason for two prospects.

In his one year with the Jethawks, Cho was still a good start with 4.2 WAR and a 136 wRC+. He also picked up his 2500^th career hit with Jeonju. Cho was now a free agent at age 38 and still seemingly was a starter quality player. However, no one matched his asking price and he sat out the 1991 season. Cho decided to retire that winter at age 39.

Cho finished with 2636 hits, 1376 runs, 590 doubles, 64 triples, 390 home runs, 1350 RBI, 1002 walks, 110 stolen bases, a .312/.384/.536 slash, 147 wRC+, and 81.7 WAR. Cho retired second all-time in doubles and still sits fourth as of 2037. He’s also one of only 25 guys with 1000 career walks drawn and is one of a short list with an OBP above .380. However, many voters expected towering home run power out of a corner outfielder.

Despite Cho’s resume and role in Yongin’s titles, he just couldn’t get across the line for a while. He debuted at 55.7% and vacillated between the mid 50% to low 60% range for six years. It seemed like he might get banished to the Hall of Pretty Good, but the seventh ballot was finally the one for Cho. He received 72.0% to round out the three-player 2002 Hall of Fame class.